Fiesta Bowl switches to January 2, 2012

The Fiesta Bowl and the BCS announced Monday that the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl will be played Monday night, Jan. 2, 2012, at University of Phoenix Stadium.

The Fiesta Bowl and the Bowl Championship Series had wanted to move the game, originally set for Jan. 5, closer to New Year's Day to enhance television ratings and to make it easier for fans visiting the Valley over the holiday weekend.

"The Fiesta Bowl is one of college football's great traditions and we're excited that it will be played in prime time on ESPN. We don't know which teams will play, but we do know that it will be a wonderful matchup and special for athletes, schools and millions of college football fans," Bill Hancock, executive director of the BCS, said in a statement.

The game will be televised on ESPN, with kickoff set for roughly 6:30 p.m.

The contest will follow ESPN's telecast of the Rose Bowl.

To get the game moved, the Fiesta Bowl needed help from the Arizona Cardinals, who are scheduled to play their final NFL regular season game at 2:15 p.m. on Jan. 1 at University of Phoenix Stadium. A Cardinals spokesman has said the team needed to waive part of its stadium rights for crews to begin transforming the facility immediately after the NFL game for the Fiesta Bowl.